Klein vs Kim
Hustler Casino Live, 2022. A live-stream cash game.
A six-hour stream night
Why it is famous
With ace-high on a board of three fives, Bill Klein led the river, got raised, and re-raised to $127,000. Brian Kim, holding kings full of fives, thought for a couple of minutes and folded the best hand.
What to take from it
Big raise wars on a paired river mean the nuts. That is exactly why the rare bluff gets through. Know the rule before you break it.
The hand
Klein A♣K♠
Kim K♥K♣
Before the flop
Blinds are posted. Another player has the button.
Kim raises to 1K.
Three other players fold.
Klein calls.
The flop
Board 10♠5♥4♥
Klein checks.
Kim bets 1.6K.
Klein calls.
The turn
Board 10♠5♥4♥5♦
Klein checks.
Kim bets 4K.
Klein calls.
The river
Board 10♠5♥4♥5♦5♠
Klein bets 13K.
Kim raises to 50K.
Klein raises to 127K.
Kim folds.
Klein wins the pot.
The decisions
- Klein. Ace-high almost never wins a showdown against a player who raised and bet twice. With three fives on the board, a five (four of a kind) is easy to represent, and a pot-sized lead tells that story.
- Kim. Only a five (four of a kind) or aces (fives full of aces) beat fives full of kings. A smaller pocket pair or a ten makes a smaller full house, and those can call a raise, so the raise is for value.
- Klein. Ace-high cannot call, and folding gives up the pot. A re-raise says four fives or aces full, the only hands that beat a raise there. It only works because almost nobody makes that move without them.
- Kim. A river re-raise on a board of three fives is four fives or aces full nearly every time. Fives full of kings beats only bluffs and smaller full houses, and those do not re-raise. Kim folded the best hand, and Klein showed the bluff. Folding was right in principle and wrong this once.
What the sources do not say. The blinds, Klein’s stack and the exact pot are not documented. Klein was in the straddle, which fits him acting first after the flop. After raising to $50,000, Kim had about $77,000 behind, so Klein’s re-raise left Kim all in to call.
Sources
- PokerNews, the stream recap
- PokerNews, "Negreanu's favourite player"
- PokerNews, top five hands of 2022
Practise it in 5 minutes Play this hand, one decision at a time.
Quads is for adults, 18 and over. It teaches with play chips only: there is no real money, ever.